Battle of Ferkeh
Part of the Mahdist War
Date June 7, 1896 Location near Dongola, Northern Sudan Result British/Egyptian victory.
Combatants
Mahdist Sudan	United Kingdom  Egypt
Commanders
Osman Azrak Hammuda	Sir Herbert Kitchener
Strength
3,000-4,000 men	9,000-9,500 men
Casualties
44 emirs killed 4 emirs captured 800-1,500 soldiers killed 500 soldiers wounded 500-600 soldiers captured	20 soldiers killed 81-83 soldiers wounded

The Battle of Ferkeh(or Firket) occurred during the Mahdist War when an army of the Mahdist Sudanese was surprised and wiped out by the British and Egyptian forces under Sir Herbert Kitchener on June 7, 1896. The Mahdist War was a struggle for Sudanese libaration that failed in the late 19-century. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... Dongola (also spelled Dunqulah or Dunqula and formerly sometimes known as Al Urdi) is the capital of the state of Northern in Sudan, on the banks of the Nile. ... Muhammad Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah (1844 - June 22, 1885) was a Muslim religious leader, a faqir, in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Egypt_19th_century. ... The Earl Kitchener Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC (24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916) was an Irish-born British Field Marshal, diplomat and statesman. ... The Mahdist War was a struggle for Sudanese libaration that failed in the late 19-century. ... The Battle of El Obied between Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Lietenant-General William Billy Hicks and forces of Mohammed Ahmed, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, on a plain near the town of Al Ubayyid (El Obied) on November 3rd-5th, 1883. ... The Battles of El Teb (February 4, 1884) and (February 29, 1884) took place during the British Sudan Campaign where a force of Sudanese under Osman Digna won a victory over an 3500 strong Egyptian force under the command of General Valentine Baker which was marching to relieve Tokar on... The Battle of Khartoum was fought in 1884 and 1885 between Sudanese Muslim forces and British forces. ... Abu Klea is a halting-place for caravans in the Bayuda Desert of Sudan. ... Combatants  United Kingdom  Egypt Mahdist Sudan Commanders Horatio Herbert Kitchener Mahmud Osman Digna Strength 14,000 troops 12,000 infantry 3,000 cavalry Casualties British: 26 killed 99 wounded Egyptian: 57 killed 386 wounded 3,000 killed and wounded 2,000 captured The Battle of Atbara was a part of... Combatants Great Britain Sudan Commanders Horatio Kitchener Abdullah al-Taashi Strength 8,000 British, 17,000 Sudanese and Egyptian 50,000 Casualties 48 dead 382 wounded Total: 430 10,000 dead 15,000 wounded 5,000 captured {{{notes}}} At the Battle of Omdurman (September 2, 1898) an army commanded by... The Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on November 24, 1899 marked the final obliteration of Muhammad Ahmads short-lived Sudanese empire, when Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Lord Kitchener wiped out what was left of the Mahdist armies under the command of the Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, known as... The Mahdist War was a struggle for Sudanese libaration that failed in the late 19-century. ... Muhammad Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah (1844 - June 22, 1885) was a Muslim religious leader, a faqir, in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. ... The Earl Kitchener Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC (24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916) was an Irish-born British Field Marshal, diplomat and statesman. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ...

In 1896, as part of the Sudan campaign, Kitcheners Anglo-Egyptian force was advancing on Dongola, in Northern Sudan. Ferkeh was a small fortified village on the banks of the Nile. It was the first important Mahdist position they encountered. At the time, it was occupied by 3,000 Mahdist warriors, led by the Emirs Hammuda and Osman Azrak. Dongola (also spelled Dunqulah or Dunqula and formerly sometimes known as Al Urdi) is the capital of the state of Northern in Sudan, on the banks of the Nile. ... The Nile (Arabic: ‎, translit: , Ancient Egyptian iteru, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river, though not the most voluminous, in the world. ... Entrance to the emirs palace in Bukhara. ...

Kitchener's force, nominally in service of the Khedive of Egypt, but in fact under direct British control, was composed of Egyptian and Sudanese soldiers, led by British officers. It numbered 9,000 men, accompanied by three batteries of field guns and one battery of Maxim guns. Khedive (from Persian for lord) was a title created in 1867 by the Ottoman Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz for the then-governor of Egypt, Ismail Pasha. ... A field gun is an artillery piece. ... An early Maxim gun in operation with the Royal Navy 1895 . ...

Kitchener divided his force into two columns. One was formed mostly of infantry , and had to march along the Nile to attack Ferkeh from the North. The other consisted of cavalry, camel-mounted infantry and horse artillery units and was sent through the desert to attack from the South-East. Both columns departed in the evening of the 6th, and marched through the night, deploying at dawn in the morning of the 7th. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ... Horse Artillery were light, fast moving and fast firing artillery units which provided fire support to the cavalry elements of armies in the 18th and 19th centuries. ...

The attack caught the Mahdists completely by surprise, and they made only uncoordinated attacks against the deploying Egyptians, during which Hammuda was killed. Many of the Mahdists then turned and fled. The cavalry column should have cut off their retreat, but they were hidden from view by the terrain, and many made good their escape along the Nile, including Osman Azrak. Other Mahdists stayed in their fortifications in the village, and fought to the bitter end. The Egyptians had to clear the position with bayonets. The US Marine Corps OKC-3S Bayonet A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle barrel or similar weapon. ...

The battle lasted from 4.30 to 7.20 am and resulted in the death of 20 Egyptians and 800 to 1000 Mahdists. It was the first significant action during the Sudan campaign.

References

• George Bruce. Harbottle's Dictionary of Battles. (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1981) (ISBN 0-442-22336-6).
• Churchill, Winston S. (1952), The river war - an account of the Reconquest of the Sudan, Eyre and Spottiswoode, London.